People at Salt Lake Comic Con Are Really Nice

Kudos to the attendees and staff of Salt Lake Comic Con for being great people!

I went undercover at Salt Lake Comic Con, cosplaying as “struggling guy on crutches.” By this I mean in real life I recently underwent surgery on an ankle and required crutches to move around with a leg that wasn’t permitted to carry any body weight.

Heading in with an expectation of big crowds, I was pleasantly surprised to find how many people were willing to help by holding doors and being conscious of where I was trying to go. Multiple people asked me how I was doing and were genuinely interested in hearing about why I was on crutches. People made it easier for me to sit in the panels and for meals.

The best part was, this wasn’t coming from just the staff and vendors. The attendees themselves went out of their way to make sure I was having a good time. I’ve been thinking about why everybody acted in such a caring manner, and I believe it’s because Salt Lake Comic Con has developed a strong sense of community over the years. People go to Salt Lake Comic Con to geek out together, and if you’re there, you’ll be taken care of. That’s a special side of things I wouldn’t have experienced without these crutches, and hopefully this article helps more people to be aware of the good thing going.

I left Salt Lake Comic Con a bit touched. My mom works in physical therapy and has mentioned to me that people with physical challenges often feel that they’re put on the fringes of society. They can often feel as though they’re a bother and in the way, and in really awful circumstances, feel invisible to everybody else rushing around them.

Nobody should feel like that. Thankfully, that’s not how I felt at all at Salt Lake Comic Con. The sense of community at the Con encouraged people to help, but that’s something we can carry with us outside of the event. We’ll never have superpowers, and most of us won’t ever be required to make a grand sacrifice to save another. We all will encounter people that can use a little bit of help and friendly encouragement. Don’t be afraid to cosplay in real life as “the person that looks out for others” or “the hero that opens doors and says hello.” We can all be super at that.

Video from IdiotBox TV, filmed at Salt Lake Comic Con